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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pit — a hole
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — happy
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — in a race
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — for paper
  18. spring — a coil
  19. content — the amount
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com